Jo Tae-eok
Korean scholar-official (1675–1728)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jo Tae-eok[1] (Korean: 조태억; 1675 – 5 November 1728), also known as Cho T'aeŏk,[2] was an 18th-century Korean scholar-official and Jwauijeong of the Joseon period.
Jo Tae-eok 조태억 | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Jo Tae-eok | |
| Left State Councillor | |
| In office 17 August 1727 – 7 July 1728 | |
| Preceded by | Hong Chi-jung |
| Succeeded by | Hong Chi-jung |
| In office 13 March 1725 – 8 April 1725 | |
| Preceded by | Ryu Bong-hwi |
| Succeeded by | Jeong Ho |
| Right State Councillor | |
| In office 18 November 1724 – March 1725 | |
| Preceded by | Ryu Bong-hwi |
| Succeeded by | Jeong Ho |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1675 |
| Died | 5 November 1728 (aged 52–53) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 조태억 |
| Hanja | 趙泰億 |
| RR | Jo Taeeok |
| MR | Cho T'aeŏk |
He was also diplomat and ambassador, representing Joseon interests in the 8th Edo period diplomatic mission to the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan.[2]
1711 mission to Japan
In 1711, King Sukjong of Joseon directed that a mission to the shogunal court of Tokugawa Ienobu should be sent to Edo.[3] This diplomatic mission functioned to the advantage of both the Japanese and the Koreans as a channel for developing a political foundation for trade.[4]
This delegation was explicitly identified by the Joseon court as a "Communication Envoy" (tongsinsa). The mission was understood to signify that relations were "normalized."[5]
The delegation arrived in the 1st year of Shōtoku, according to the Japanese calendar in use at that time.[6] Jo Tae-eok was the chief envoy of this diplomatic embassy.[3]
Recognition in the West
Jo Tae-eok's historical significance was confirmed when his mission and his name were specifically mentioned in a widely distributed history published by the Oriental Translation Fund in 1834.[6]
In the West, early published accounts of the Joseon kingdom are not extensive, but they are found in Sangoku Tsūran Zusetsu (published in Paris in 1832),[7] and in Nihon ōdai ichiran (published in Paris in 1834). Joseon foreign relations and diplomacy are explicitly referenced in the 1834 work.